The Larsen Maxwell Duo

Anika has performed in national tours, regional productions, Off-Broadway, and she has appeared on Broadway in Almost Famous, Avenue Q, All Shook Up and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Perhaps most exciting, Anika is the only person on the planet who can say they were in the original casts of both Xanadu and Zanna, Don’t!

Apparently while Anika was doing Beautiful she complained a lot backstage about the state of her love life, because one day during a quick change, her dresser Lisa asked her if she wanted to be set up on a blind date with a trumpet player named Freddie. Best blind date of her (and his) life, and six months later they were living together with the first of two babies on the way, sons they call their “Beautiful Boys” since they wouldn’t exist without Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

Freddie Maxwell is a brilliant jazz musician, and together he and Anika have formed The Larsen/Maxwell Quintet. Freddie doesn’t like to rehearse or perform anything the same way twice. He lives for onstage improvisation and musical conversation among the band. Anika identifies as little Miss Broadway who likes to rehearse everything for weeks until it is perfectly plotted out. Freddie forces her out of her comfort zone, and she finds it both thrilling and terrifying.

They gig around the greater NYC area—catch them (or book them) sometime!